Improvement in car-starters



EQGUNTHEK Car-Starters.

N0.l50,02`9 Patented April 21,1874,

To all whom it may concern:

STATES `.A'rEN'r (Dilirlcrio 4EDUARD GNTHER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.,ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF HIS RIGHT TO JOSEPH ROBITSOHER, OF SAME PLAGE.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-STARTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 150,029, dated April21, 1874 application filed March 25, 1874.

Be it known that I, EDUARD GNTHER, of New York, in the county of NewYork and State of New York, have invented a new and ImprovedOar-Starter, of which the following is a speciiication:

Figure 1 represents a vertical longitudinal section of a car having myimproved carstarter. Fig. 2 is a bottom view of the same, a-nd Figs. 8,4, and 5, are side views of my attachment, showing it in differentpositions.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all thefigures.

This invention has for its object to produce an attachment forstreet-cars, whereby the draft power, when applied to a stationary car,will at rst directly affect one of the car-axles, and in part revolvethe same, so that the draft-animals will not in the beginning have topull the entire weight of a car, but will start it by applying a pawl toone ofthe axles, partly turning the same. The car will thereby bestarted in its forward motion with gradually-increasing speed, so thatfinally the draft of the entire car will be less difficult, and theshock of suddenly starting the car avoided. My invention consists inapplying a lever to one of the car-axles, and providing it with twopawls at opposite ends, said pawls being intended at the proper time tobear against a disk that is mounted upon the axle, and in connectingsaid pawls with straps that extend to the ends of the car, and inconnecting the pawls also, respectively, with the two draft-hooks of thecar, all as and for the purpose hereinafter described.

In the drawing, the letter A represents the bottom of a suitableStreetcar. B is one axle, O the other, both being supported by suitablewheels. Upon the axle B is mounted a disk, a, which I prefer to makewith a V-shaped edge, as in Fig. 2, to give a large amount offriction-surface, but which may also be made, if desired, withratchet-teeth, or of other suitable form of edge. D is a le ver, turningloosely on the axle B, and carrying a pawl, b, at one end, and a pawl,d, at the other end, both pawls being of equal size and style, and bothpivoted at equal distances from the axle B, respectively. The pawl b isat a point between its pivot and its free end connected with a cord orstrap, e,.that extends to one end of the car, such cord or strap having,by preference, an elastic section, c', of rubber or metal, which elasticsection is clearly indicated in Fig. 2. In a similar manner is the pawll connected with a cord or strap, f, that extends to the opposite end ofthe car, said cord or strap f having also an elastic section, j", alsoas indicated. E and F are the two draft-hooks of the car, applied toopposite ends of the same, and made to slide in suitable eyes g y, thatare attached to the car for their support. draft-hook F is by a chain,7L, that passes over a friction-pulley, t', which is suspended from thebottom of the car above B, connected with the pawl b. The draft-hook Eis by a similar chain, j, connected with the pawl d. A bracechain, jz,extends also from the chain j to the pawl b, and a brace-chain, h2, fromthe chain h to the pawl d.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows: When the car is to bemoved by applying draft power to the hook E, the strap e is taken holdof by the driver and drawn tight and fastened to a hook or button, Z, onthe front guard m of the car. Thereby the pawl b is carried up nearer tothe bottom of the car, and the lever D swung into the position shown inFig. 1, the pawl b being by the strap c held away from the disk a, asshown. When the horses begin to pull on the hook E, the said hook willslide in the eyes g g, and will pull the chain j, and thereby carry thelever D around in the direction of the arrow 1, shown in Fig. 1, holdingthe end of the pawl d tight against the edge of the disk a, and causingthe said pawl to take hold of the disk and turn it in the same directionwith the arrow 1. Thereby the wheels of the axle B will also be turnedin the same direction and the car started before the horses begin totake hold of the entire weight thereof. The position into which theparts are brought by applying the draft to the hook E is shown in Fig.3, and in this position finally the parts remain all the time duringwhich the car is being pulled by means of the hook E. Thus itis shownthat the hook E, when the power is applied to it, will not cause, asusual, the whole body of the car to be pulled for- The ward, but willfirst affect the pawl d and turn the axle B, and thus propel the ear byturning said axle, and start the car in the proper way. The speed, ofcourse, of starting will gradually increase as the forward motion of thehook E increases under the iniiuence of the draft applied to it. Whenthe parts are in this position-that is to say, in the position shown inFig. 3the pawl d will also serve as a brake for preventing the car frommoving backward, and it will therefore secure the ear against danger ofrunning backward on steep hills and inclines 5 but when the car is to bebacked up the draft-hook is slid backward, and the pawl d therebybrought into the position shown in Fig. 1, and no lon ger in the way ofthe backward motion of the car. NVhen it is desired to apply the draftto the hook F and not to E the chain e is first released from thefastening Z and the chain f then secured to a button, a, or hook on theguard O. The lever D will thereby be brought into the position indicatedin Fig. 4, the pawl d swung away from the disk a, the pawl b, however,applied thereto. lVhen the draft is thereupon applied to the hook F thechain his stretched and carries the pawl b upward, turning the lever inthe direction of the arrow 2, shown in Fig. 4, into the position shownin Fig. 5, and during such motion of the lever the pawl b will affectthe disk and turn it, and with it the axle B, so as to properly startthe car. In this position the pawl Z will also serve the same purpose ofa brake as the pawl d was formerly shown to serve. The braces h2 and jzserve to keep the respective pawls with which they are connected awa-yfrom the disk a, when such pawls are to be out of operation-that is tosay, when the draft-hook E is pulled the brace j2 keeps the pawl b awayfrom the diskl a, and when the draft-hook F is pulled the brace h2 keepsthe pawl d away from the disk ct, as respectively indicated in Figs. 3and 5. Vhen it is desired to have ratchet-teeth on the disk a, insteadof the V-shapcd edge, there must be ratchet teeth in the oppositedirections, so that the two pawls may affect the disk in the requisitemanner when they are to be applied.

Itis evident that this invention, instead of being duplicated on asingle axle, may also be applied in halves to one axle or the other, andon cars which are to have one draft end only the lever D will requirebut one pawl and one strap connection, e, and draft-chain connecl tionj.

' I claim as my invention- 1.' The combination of the disk a, mountedupon the axle B of a car, with the lever D carrying the pawls b d, andthe straps c and j' chains j and h, and sliding draft-hooks E an( F, allfor operation substantially as described.

2. The combination of the disk a, mounted upon the axle B, with a lever,D, strap e, draftchain j, and sliding draft-hook E, all substantially asshown and described.

3. The brace-chainsjZ and h2, applied in combination with the chains jand 7L and pawls b and d, substantially as and for the purpose shown anddescribed..

n. GNTHER.

Witnesses:

A. V. BRIEsEN, E. C. WEBB.

